Dr. Conrad Murray -- If Convicted -- He May End Up On House Arrest

If Dr. Conrad Murray is convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter  and sentenced to the maximum --- 4 years in state prison --- he will not spend a single day in prison --- and he could end up on house arrest.

A new law went into effect in California  October 1 , which says , because of overcrowding , people  convicted of non-violent felonies cannot be sent to State prison . Instead , non-violent felons serve their time in county jail.

Law enforcement says --- involuntary manslaughter is a non-violent felony , which means if Murray is convicted he'd go to L.A. county jail.

As for how much time Murray would serve , L.A. County Sheriff's officials says , Murray would be jailed for half the actual  sentence . So if he gets the maximum  --- 4 years --- he would only serve 2 years.

But there's a twist --- Murray could actually serve less than 2 years . Because of severe overcrowding . Inmates are eligible for house arrest , based on 2 factors --- their prior criminal history and risk to the community . Murray has a clean record and , as one law enforcement official put it , he poses no risk  --- it's not like he's going to go out with a bottle of Propofol and kill people.

So if the jail is filled to the gills , the Sheriff could put him on house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet . But one official from the Sheriff's Department  said , "Murrya wouldn't be placed on house arrest right out the box . He would almost certainly do some time before the jailhouse doors will open."